Cheng Ying was less than pleased about involving the Chi family; the old lady, however, let out a breath of relief. "Grandma, why do you trust the Chi family so much?"

The old lady retorted, "Who do you think has the ability to change your mother's household registration from rural to provincial? Just for that alone, the Chi family is full of capable people."

Cheng Ying felt her perception of the old lady being refreshed at every moment, practically wagging her tail in front of her. "My dear Grandma, you've become as wise as an old fox!"

The old lady bristled at the remark. "Get away with you, you unlucky child, what are you saying?"

Chi Wu watched Cheng Ying. "Serves you right, trying to brown-nose; you picked the wrong spot, didn't you?"

The Cheng family's old lady called out, "It's washed and ready. Have you eaten? I saved some rice for you in the pot."

Now, the Cheng family's old lady treated Chi Wu with a warmth gentler than a spring breeze.

Sometimes Chi Wu would just muse, thinking back to the Chi family's old lady's attitude toward him in the past; his current life felt like paradise, almost unreal, like a dream.

If there was one thing Chi Wu didn't know, it was that a person who returned to the village to work every holiday, whose character was already established, had long since won over the Chi family's old lady.

In the Chi family's old lady's heart, though she never said it aloud, Chi Wu was still better than Chi Yong; this boy remembered old kindnesses.

A person of such character was hard to find even with a lantern lit; if she didn't treat him well, who would she treat well?

The next day, Chi Wu didn't go out; instead, he helped Cheng Ying at home entertain their guests.

Deep in Chi Wu's heart, he was a man, the head of the household, and it was only natural for him to properly look after the visitors.

Cheng Ying thought that even though the child was stubborn sometimes, he was sensible and good when it mattered, knowing to help the adults at home.

Though their thoughts differed, the atmosphere remained harmonious and joyful.

The next day, Yang Zhi couldn't get off work. Chi Yong brought the old man, the old principal, and their fat grandson along—it was practically a home visit.

Unexpectedly, the Chi family's old lady tagged along without a word.

In Chi Yong's view, he wondered if this old lady had come specifically to sabotage things. Everyone could see how much the old lady disliked Cheng Ying and the Cheng family's old lady, to the point where she didn't even want to mention her. Why would she willingly step foot into their Cheng home? The old lady was not one to worry about appearances; it was baffling.

Cheng Ying welcomed the inspection from the leaders with an attitude that was utterly endearing, like a well-behaved student.

Even Chi Wu looked nothing but obedient.

The Chi family's old lady and old man were delighted to see their grandson, as they rarely saw him at their own home.

Sometimes the Chi family's old man would sigh, asking how the Cheng family could have raised Chi Wu for only a few years, yet the boy was so close to them. It was impossible not to feel a pang of loss.

As for the old principal, his home visit to Cheng Ying's house was thorough. After taking two looks at the child, he kept observing the family environment, which could only be described as excellent. "Girl, your grandma's fish-keeping is truly superb."

Cheng Ying replied, "Yes, Grandma loves it. She's always fussing with the fish tanks and changing the water. If you have time, you can come over and we can discuss pointers; my Grandma would certainly welcome you."

When the Cheng family's old lady came out with fruit and melon seeds to greet the guests, the old principal saw this simple rural old lady and thought: It's genuinely hard to believe that this old lady possesses such elegant and refined taste. One should not judge by appearances; the ancients did not deceive me.

The old lady was warm, even warmer to the teacher. "Quick, eat some watermelon! Oh, our Yingzi is very obedient, and her studies are excellent. I have all her awards from childhood. Teacher, would you like to step inside and take a look?"

In the old lady's view, doctors were better the older they got, and scholarship was even better with age. Thus, seeing the teacher's age commanded respect.

The old lady praised her granddaughter exactly as she saw things, recounting only the beautiful aspects, enough to make Cheng Ying and Chi Wu sweat with embarrassment.

The old principal looked at the old lady, then at the fish, the yard, the flowers, and even the stones. Honestly, they didn't seem to match the old lady's demeanor.

However, he was there for the visit. "Old sister, please don't stand on ceremony; I'm intruding. Let's go inside and look at classmate Yingzi's award certificates."

He felt slightly embarrassed saying this, as he had been there for quite a while but hadn't gotten to the main point.

Entering the house truly made the old principal and the Chi family's old man's eyes light up. It was full of surprises; they couldn't figure out how the old lady had such high taste. Though the furnishings were few, the furniture was antique-style, looking grand and immersive.

The old lady pointed to one wall. "Look quickly, these are all Yingzi's award certificates."

Cheng Ying thought that the old lady had even brought all the certificates from their own wall and deliberately posted them in such a prominent place.

The old principal frowned slightly looking at the wall of certificates. Could this wall of awards be the element that least matched the room?

The old lady, very concerned about this, asked, "Teacher, you don't seem satisfied?"

The old principal quickly replied, "No, no. Classmate Yingzi's academic performance is indeed very good, truly excellent. That's not easy to achieve."

The old lady pressed on, "Of course! Where we lived in the gully, it wasn't easy for our Yingzi to go to school. She had to wake up early and work late, her soles covered in blisters, and sometimes you could even hear wolves howling. That schooling was so hard-won!"

Chi Wu and Chi Yong stood silently behind. Old lady, could you be any more hypocritical? How many days did Yingzi actually go to school? How could you say that?

Cheng Ying kept her head down in the rear, her face flushed. Regardless of the reason, her expression looked perfectly appropriate at that moment.

The Chi family's old man looked at Cheng Ying with renewed admiration, then turned his thoughts to his own little chubby grandson fishing outside. Should he create some hardship for his grandson's learning conditions too? Probably not; his grandson was so clever.

The old principal exclaimed, "Oh, this child truly hasn't had it easy. Yingzi, study hard. Now that conditions are better, you must achieve even more!"

Cheng Ying replied, "Yes, definitely. Thank you for your guidance, Principal." She genuinely didn't know what else to say.

The old principal finally couldn't help himself, having wanted to ask for a long time. "Old sister, is this furniture all brought from your home? These pieces are quite fine."

The old lady replied, "Oh, it wasn't that troublesome. I came in a hurry and didn't bring anything. The two children arranged it all."

The old principal turned to Cheng Ying, wondering if the children had arrived in poverty.

Chi Wu explained, "This is pear wood that Yingzi bought herself. She found an old craftsman to make it, and he fashioned two pieces of furniture while we were fixing the house."

The old principal nodded. "There aren't many craftsmen who can achieve this level of skill." He then looked closely at the furniture, especially a simple chair inside the room. With just two plain round wooden strips, it achieved such an effect. "This craftsman has excellent vision."

Chi Wu added, "Yingzi drew the design herself, and the craftsman followed it. It captured about three-tenths of the spirit." When Chi Wu first saw the sketches, he doubted the craftsman could even reproduce it.

The old principal turned to the Chi family's old man. "You have a treasure in your family; you've struck gold!"

The old man nodded. This child was truly good, worthy of being taught by his own son. The Chi family's old lady also admired these pieces; they had owned similar items before, but they were lost in those years. Some things, once gone, couldn't be fully reclaimed just by becoming comfortable.

The Chi family's old lady asked with underlying concern, "Wuzi, can this craftsman still be found?" She had something on her mind.

The old principal chimed in, "Indeed. I must find this craftsman to make a chair for myself later."

Cheng Ying smiled. Luck was on her side; it was unstoppable! Damn it, why didn't I think of this? I'm sitting on a treasure mountain but don't know how to use it! I needed someone else to point it out. Cheng Ying grew excited. "Grandma Chi, if you like these, I still have some leftover timber. The craftsmen are easy to find."

The old principal said, "Oh, I won't take advantage of this cheaply. We'll convert the timber into money."

Cheng Ying replied, "Please, don't be so formal. This timber was transported from the village; it only cost shipping fees."

Chi Wu looked at Cheng Ying. The two exchanged a glance. When it came to unspoken understanding, it was truly a state of being; they simultaneously thought of money.

The old principal said, "Exactly, this wood isn't easily found, and it hasn't even been stained."

Cheng Ying explained, "This is pear wood; the more it's used, the brighter the luster becomes. Girls in the village use this for their dowries."

"Good stuff!" the principal remarked.

The Chi family's old man agreed, "It's far better than store-bought furniture, and it has so much character."

The Cheng family's old lady looked at the two chairs without seeing the appeal; they were hard as rock without cushions. "You all look at them first; I'm going to make dinner."

The old principal said, "How could we dare trouble you?" Although he said this, he didn't get up.

The old lady insisted, "What trouble is that? You're Yingzi's teacher, after all!"

The old principal felt deeply guilty; by any measure, he wasn't truly Yingzi's teacher, and he needed to take better care of the child from now on.

Scholarly people are often very traditional, focused, and meticulous in their observations. From the doorway, they saw a small, square kang table on the heated brick bed. It was simple and neat, topped with a small flower pot blooming with vibrant flowers.

Then, the four outsiders, including Chi Yong, stared at this object, lost in thought, analyzing it mentally without touching it.

The old principal said to the Chi family's old man, "Old fellow, your granddaughter has deep cultural roots. This thing... is it really authentic?"

The old man exclaimed, "Oh my, can this thing really be made like this? I've never heard of it."

Chi Yong said, "I thought my Yingzi only went up the mountain to raise ginseng; I never realized you could process a root like this. It looks quite pretty as a flower, too."

The Chi family's old lady remained silent.

For the first time, the Chi family's old man realized the limits of his son's knowledge.

The old principal declared, "There are hidden talents everywhere!" He thought that this old lady looked simple and unadorned, but she possessed deep, restrained brilliance, returning to simplicity.

When it was time to eat, the few cold mixed dishes were indeed excellent, and the enthusiastic old lady insisted on sending over one of her own old laying hens.

Looking at the fruit wine in his cup, the old principal asked sincerely, "Old sister, this skill of yours must be hereditary, right?" He felt he shouldn't pry too deeply into her background.

The old lady replied, "Of course! My wine is well-known in the village. Please drink more if you like it; I'll bring you a small jar next time." She didn't add another word, afraid of revealing her limitations.

The old principal said, "I'm eating and taking things, I feel quite put out today, but I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Cheng Ying took a deep breath. It was no wonder she reached the principal position; her skin wasn't just thick, it was armor-plated.

The Chi family's old man praised, "Old in-law, this wine is superb!" Even the Chi family's old lady sipped a small mouthful reservedly.

ps: Requesting pink votes at the end of the month; I want to make the charts. Thank you all. RP